Mac Baren Cherry Ambrosia

What's the deal with cherry blends anyway? Because every manunufacturer/blender seems to have its own take on 'les cerises', one would conclude that there must be a large number of guys who like walking around smelling like a cherry tart in the oven. (Why not a cinnamon bun?)

But, hey, I bought a tin of this stuff didn't I? And....I've had better cherry blends, that's for sure. I just happen to believe, as a long-time pipe smoker, that n order to get a really good cherry blend, you need to have an American blender using American tobaccos and casing techniques. Non-American manufacturers do not do cherry blends well, and this one is no exception.

Good fruity cherry smell upon opening the tin, but there it ends; does not translate either to taste or to room note. Stays lit pretty well and I found no tongue bite with Cherry Ambrosia as long as you puff it gently. If you smoke it too hot and fast, you'll get an awful odor and taste.

Seriously, you really want cherry? Try J. M. Boswell & Sons' "Cherry Smash" or "Bear Blend". Also try Pipeworks & Wilkie's "Cherry Cavendish." NOW you're talking cherry, my friend.

*EDIT* Okay, I've been very harsh when reviewing this blend. I've tried it a couple of months later and it dried a bit, but still, it had to be aired for half an hour. If you light it when it contains the proper ammount of moisture, it burns dry, but doesn't bite you, and you get a nice cherry taste. But honestly, i've smoked it in a pipe from which I smoked cherry blends earlier. I give it three stars, but be prepared, that in contrast of the nice smoking experience, it leaves a disgusting aftertaste and smell in your mouth.

I took somewhat of a risk when I purchased a pouch of this. What with all the bad reviews here. I was at the local hypermart when I felt like picking up some OTC tobacco to change things up. After smoking VaPers and English Blends with the occasional aromatic Vanilla, I had the sudden urge to try out something with Cherry in it. MacB never bit me before so I decided to risk it on a pouch.

Reading the back of the pouch... Black Virginia Cavendish, Virginia & Burley with Jamaican Rum and Cherry. Doesn't sound too bad.

Opening the pouch, the note is of Cherries and sweet rum. Yummy. The tobacco was not overly moist and I did not wait for it to dry before packing a Cob. The light was easy. No fuss.

Initial impression was... "this is very light. I cannot taste much tobacco or cherry or rum." As such, I decided to murder some weeds in the garden whilst puffing on the cob. Halfway through the impromptu gardening, the smoke started getting my attention. The taste of cherry and tobacco is now stronger. I started to focus on the smoke now. Musky, sweet, tangy and a medium Virginia taste. Not bad at all! No bite (McB has always been kind to me) and no relights.

All in a nice aromatic smoke that gets tastier halfway down. A solid 3 stars from me.

If you are a lover of Cherry Aromatics, or just Aromatics, or if you just want a change in your smoke, I would recommend you this for sure!

could have used a little less cherry casing in this blend. burns well. do not have to keep relighting my pipe. if one likes cherry blends try this one, you may like it

Occasionally on a sunny day, in a cob in the garden, Cherry Ambrosia delivers a smooth and sweet sensation. Those times it can actually taste better than any other one of MacBaren's mixtures, including the flagship HH much-ados about nuttin'. Other times, more frequently I must admit, the result is the typical MacBaren acrid burley and nothing else. Cherry taste? Never. One pouch goes far.

This is my first review. I have tried a number of cherry aromatics and on opening the pouch the tobacco showed a lot of promise. Very strong cherry aroma. On lighting though the cherry taste was slight and very "synthetic". One of the few tobaccos that have genuinly diasappointed me. I would advise people to go for Mclintocks black cherry which is far superior in my oppinion.

I've started to search for a decent cherry aromatic; this was my second try  the first was Mayflower, which I found to be very unpleasant. This offering by MacBaren's is better: at the very least I could draw some pleasure out of it. Nevertheless, I was left with the impression that the toppings were synthetic and the tobacco a bit sub-par. I'll return to it only in case of need, when I feel the urge to taste this kind of aromatic and nothing better of its genre is available in the store.

Cherry Ambrosia is a "second string" player as far as my opinion of Mac Baren blends goes. I've smoked many a tin of this, but never found it overly satisfying. Nice tin aroma, but no detectable cherry smell or taste for me while smoking. Needs to be dried sufficiently as it will smoke hot. I'm not talking about bite, but about the briar bowl at times becoming uncomfortably hot to hold. I wouldn't exactly say it was "bitey", but there was that ever-present peppery sting at my lips - and not in a good way such as a blend with a bit of Perique would do. Perhaps I was smoking it a tad too fast to compensate for the lack of zest it presented. No problems with packing or moisture, but the lack of taste and flavor coupled with that peppery annoyance was, for me, too much of a distraction for an enjoyable smoke. I can't say I will be re-visiting Cherry Ambrosia any time soon as I've grown tired of it. A shame too, since it had a very nice cherry smell in the tin. I give it 2 stars out of 4.

Cherry it is. Very strong taste of cherry in this. It is the sweetest of them I have tried. Smells very good to others and taste is very pleasant. It does tend to bite when fresh due to the casings being so heavy. Drying will improve this. It has a tangy aftertaste and cleaning of your pipe is required regularly smoking this. It tends to build a tar taste at the bottom of the bowl that builds rather quickly and boils. Smoking this sweet tobacco does tend to give me a metal aftertaste if I smoke a lot of it. Great for a treat now and then but not as regular day to day blend. I highly recommend this for that purpose. It is very good.